07/09/2012

Married with Zombies (Living with Dead #1) by Jesse Petersen

A heartwarming tale of terror in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.Meet Sarah and David.Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.Meet the Zombies.Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains, they might just kill each other.Paperback, 244 pagesPublished September 1st 2010 by Orbit

1/2

Three and a half stars: A snarky look at what happens when a marriage on the rocks meets the zombie apocalypse.

Sarah and David arrive at their weekly marriage counseling session. Little do they know that this week is going to be much different. instead of irritating advice, biting accusations and revealing irritations, they find that their therapist as well as her star clients are now the living dead. Quickly they fight off the zombies biting advances with makeshift weapons: letter opener and stilettos. In shock they flee, on the way out they encounter more zombies. What is going on? They finally make it home to their crappy, run down one bedroom apartment. Sarah and David have never been so glad arrive home to their dumpy living conditions. Their reprieve is short lived as Sarah finds in her bathroom their neighbor standing in the shower as a zombie. The Dr. Phil marriage book that David has never read, ends up being a great zombie bashing weapon as well as the toilet seat that David forgot to put down....again! The television report tells them that Seattle is in big trouble. The infection started sometime day and is spreading very rapidly. Sarah and David decide to flee the city at daybreak, hoping to outrun the zombies. Will Sarah and David survive the zombie apocalypse? Will their marriage?

What I Liked:

Married with Zombies is a zany, snarky zombie adventure. It combines a couple whose marriage is on the rocks with zombies. What ensues is a roller coaster ride as the couple learns to work together to defeat the zombies and along the way they rekindle the dying spark of their marriage. Who knew that a zombie infestation could be the cure for marital discord? Needless to say, the reconciliation isn't immediate. The couple share numerous marital irritations and their is plenty of biting commentary between them. It makes for an entertaining read.

The zombies are at times hilarious. The couple encounter stripper zombies and even old lady casino zombies still pulling on the slot machines. The zombies were full of surprises and you never knew what was around the next corner.

One of my favorite parts of the book, aside from the witty dialogue, was the chapter titles. They were highly entertaining with headings like this: The Couple Who Slays Together Stays Together, Put the small stuff into perspective. It's better to be wrong and alive than right but eating brains. Make requests, not demands. "Please" kill that zombie, honey, I'm out of bullets. Build mutual friendships. Just be ready to end them when your friends start trying to eat you, Men are from Mars....Zombies are from Hell. These are just of few of the snappy titles. Basically it is marriage tips zombie style.

I enjoyed seeing all the items that were grabbed and used in a pinch to exterminate the zombies. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it is nice to know that there are plenty of everyday items that can be used to bash in a zombie's brain.

I loved their air-headed neighbor, Amanda. She is a great addition to the cast with her clueless and often off topic comments, she is sure to make you smile. Over time, she even adapts and learns to slay a few zombies. I only wish she had a bigger role because she ended up being my favorite character.

And The Not So Much:

As much as I enjoyed the zombie mayhem, over time it got a little old to have the pair repeatedly encountering zombies jumping out at them unexpectedly or for them to be chatting with someone who appeared to be normal, only to have them suddenly morph into a zombie. At first it was surprising but the continued repetition made the zombie sudden appearances expected instead of startling.

I questioned the dumb decision Dave made by wanting to stop at a casino. Seriously, why would you want to go into a very public place that is sure to be infested with zombies? Obviously, it is not going to end well.

I am a stickler for details and this book lacked information on the zombie infestation. All the reader gleans is that it was some kind of research experiment gone awry that caused the infection. Once bitten the victim only has fifteen to twenty minutes before morphing into a mindless, brain eating creature. I would love to know the how and why and who unleashed the infection. Perhaps this information will be released in the next book.

Married with Zombies is an entertaining look at what happens when a feuding couple encounters the zombie apocalypse. What follows is a funny book filled with zombie brain bashing, quirky marital tips pertinent to the zombie situation and plenty of snarky, witty commentary. If you are a zombie enthusiast this is a fun series that sheds news light on zombies and couple therapy. It is a quick, fun read.

Favorite Quotations:

"The lights had always been on with Amanda, but I'm not sure she was home much."

"Hmmm?" Amanda said. "Oh yeah. I heard a bang. I thought it was a really loud car backfire. Did you have to fire the gun?"

"Okay. I know we confused them. I mean, they looked at each other with a few grunts like they were saying, "What do you think, Zombie Bob?" "Well, I don't know, Zombie Pete, let's see what they do next."

"I have to admit, I kind of liked this chest-banging-woman-mine thing that was going on with him. It was sort of a new experience from Mr. Laid Back, Play a Videogame Dude."

"There are times in a marriage when one person has to give a little more for the other one. I knew this was my day and for once I didn't bitch about it."

"He reached out and turned on the old car's radio. I should also mention it had an eight track. Yes, that is how awesome our car was."

"When she pictured the city... any city, she seemed to picture bumper-to-bumper traffic and rape...quite possible together."

Comments

Married with Zombies (Living with Dead #1) by Jesse Petersen

A heartwarming tale of terror in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.Meet Sarah and David.Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.Meet the Zombies.Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains, they might just kill each other.Paperback, 244 pagesPublished September 1st 2010 by Orbit

1/2

Three and a half stars: A snarky look at what happens when a marriage on the rocks meets the zombie apocalypse.

Sarah and David arrive at their weekly marriage counseling session. Little do they know that this week is going to be much different. instead of irritating advice, biting accusations and revealing irritations, they find that their therapist as well as her star clients are now the living dead. Quickly they fight off the zombies biting advances with makeshift weapons: letter opener and stilettos. In shock they flee, on the way out they encounter more zombies. What is going on? They finally make it home to their crappy, run down one bedroom apartment. Sarah and David have never been so glad arrive home to their dumpy living conditions. Their reprieve is short lived as Sarah finds in her bathroom their neighbor standing in the shower as a zombie. The Dr. Phil marriage book that David has never read, ends up being a great zombie bashing weapon as well as the toilet seat that David forgot to put down....again! The television report tells them that Seattle is in big trouble. The infection started sometime day and is spreading very rapidly. Sarah and David decide to flee the city at daybreak, hoping to outrun the zombies. Will Sarah and David survive the zombie apocalypse? Will their marriage?

What I Liked:

Married with Zombies is a zany, snarky zombie adventure. It combines a couple whose marriage is on the rocks with zombies. What ensues is a roller coaster ride as the couple learns to work together to defeat the zombies and along the way they rekindle the dying spark of their marriage. Who knew that a zombie infestation could be the cure for marital discord? Needless to say, the reconciliation isn't immediate. The couple share numerous marital irritations and their is plenty of biting commentary between them. It makes for an entertaining read.

The zombies are at times hilarious. The couple encounter stripper zombies and even old lady casino zombies still pulling on the slot machines. The zombies were full of surprises and you never knew what was around the next corner.

One of my favorite parts of the book, aside from the witty dialogue, was the chapter titles. They were highly entertaining with headings like this: The Couple Who Slays Together Stays Together, Put the small stuff into perspective. It's better to be wrong and alive than right but eating brains. Make requests, not demands. "Please" kill that zombie, honey, I'm out of bullets. Build mutual friendships. Just be ready to end them when your friends start trying to eat you, Men are from Mars....Zombies are from Hell. These are just of few of the snappy titles. Basically it is marriage tips zombie style.

I enjoyed seeing all the items that were grabbed and used in a pinch to exterminate the zombies. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, it is nice to know that there are plenty of everyday items that can be used to bash in a zombie's brain.

I loved their air-headed neighbor, Amanda. She is a great addition to the cast with her clueless and often off topic comments, she is sure to make you smile. Over time, she even adapts and learns to slay a few zombies. I only wish she had a bigger role because she ended up being my favorite character.

And The Not So Much:

As much as I enjoyed the zombie mayhem, over time it got a little old to have the pair repeatedly encountering zombies jumping out at them unexpectedly or for them to be chatting with someone who appeared to be normal, only to have them suddenly morph into a zombie. At first it was surprising but the continued repetition made the zombie sudden appearances expected instead of startling.

I questioned the dumb decision Dave made by wanting to stop at a casino. Seriously, why would you want to go into a very public place that is sure to be infested with zombies? Obviously, it is not going to end well.

I am a stickler for details and this book lacked information on the zombie infestation. All the reader gleans is that it was some kind of research experiment gone awry that caused the infection. Once bitten the victim only has fifteen to twenty minutes before morphing into a mindless, brain eating creature. I would love to know the how and why and who unleashed the infection. Perhaps this information will be released in the next book.

Married with Zombies is an entertaining look at what happens when a feuding couple encounters the zombie apocalypse. What follows is a funny book filled with zombie brain bashing, quirky marital tips pertinent to the zombie situation and plenty of snarky, witty commentary. If you are a zombie enthusiast this is a fun series that sheds news light on zombies and couple therapy. It is a quick, fun read.

Favorite Quotations:

"The lights had always been on with Amanda, but I'm not sure she was home much."

"Hmmm?" Amanda said. "Oh yeah. I heard a bang. I thought it was a really loud car backfire. Did you have to fire the gun?"

"Okay. I know we confused them. I mean, they looked at each other with a few grunts like they were saying, "What do you think, Zombie Bob?" "Well, I don't know, Zombie Pete, let's see what they do next."

"I have to admit, I kind of liked this chest-banging-woman-mine thing that was going on with him. It was sort of a new experience from Mr. Laid Back, Play a Videogame Dude."

"There are times in a marriage when one person has to give a little more for the other one. I knew this was my day and for once I didn't bitch about it."

"He reached out and turned on the old car's radio. I should also mention it had an eight track. Yes, that is how awesome our car was."

"When she pictured the city... any city, she seemed to picture bumper-to-bumper traffic and rape...quite possible together."